Nevada, 2002

Heavy Snow in Nevada, March 7, 2002

March 7, 2002 · NWS REV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Spotter in Empire reported 4 inches of snow in 90 minutes at 4900 feet.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS REV wrote it up.

Spotter in Empire reported 4 inches of snow in 90 minutes at 4900 feet.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 7, 2:15 PM PST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 2:15 PM PST, 30 minutes before
WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
215 PM PST THU MAR 7 2002

COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORTWAVE WILL BRING SNOW THIS EVENING
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AS IT PUSHES SOUTHWARD. WINDS REMAIN GUSTY
IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT. SO WILL EXTEND WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES
THROUGH 9PM THIS EVENING EXCEPT ACROSS NORTHWEST NEVADA AND
NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA PORTIONS OF ZONES. SHORTWAVE MOVES QUICKLY
THROUGH AREA LATER THIS EVENING...SO EXPECT SKIES TO PARTIAL CLEAR
OVERNIGHT. SHORTWAVE RIDGE WILL KEEP CONDITIONS DRY FOR FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY. ANOTHER TROUGH NEARS THE CALIFORNIA AND PACIFIC NORTHWEST
COAST FOR SATURDAY. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED
ACROSS ALL ZONES BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. 12Z AVN MOVING PRECIPITATION
INTO THE SIERRA AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA BY SATURDAY NIGHT WITH 12Z
ETA ABOUT 6 HOURS SLOWER. WILL GO LIKELY POPS IN THE SIERRA WITH
CHANCE POPS IN THE WESTERN NV VALLEYS AS TROUGH PUSHES THROUGH BY
LATE SUNDAY.

IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD...AFTER SHORT WAVE TROUGH ON SUNDAY...POLAR
JET RETREATS TO AFFECT MAINLY PACIFIC NORTHWEST MONDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. NORTHERN ZONES MAY BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BAROCLINIC FLOW FOR
CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH PERIOD AND WILL MENTION IN FORECAST WHILE
REMAINDER OF REGION WILL BE DRY. AMPLIFYING RIDGE IN EASTERN PACIFIC
WILL ALLOW DEEPER TROUGH TO MOVE ACROSS THIS AREA ON THURSDAY. WILL
MENTION CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW ALL ZONES FOR THURSDAY WITH BEST
CHANCE IN TAHOE AND NE CALIFORNIA ZONES.

.REV...WINTER STORM WARNING ZONE 2/72 UNTIL 9PM
       WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA PORTION OF ZONE 73
        UNTIL 9PM
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ZONE 3
        ABOVE 5000 FEET UNTIL 9PM
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ZONE 4
        ABOVE 5500 FEET UNTIL 9PM
       WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES 3 AND 73 UNTIL 9PM

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, S Washoe T X Se & X Sw/Storey/E Carson City/C&e Douglas/Nw Lyon

When
March 7, 2:45 PM PST to 4:15 PM PST
Where
S Washoe T X Se & X Sw/Storey/E Carson City/C&e Douglas/Nw Lyon forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.511, -119.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nevada in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, March 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5286137.